Waterford woman's historical photos show a thriving, bustling Pontiac

Pontiac's then-growing skyline as seen from a corner of Saginaw and Huron streets.

A Waterford Township woman is sharing a historical treasure trove of images from Pontiac's past.

Eula Hornbeck, 91, recently shared a photo book with The Oakland Press showcasing Pontiac in 1928, which included attractions and future developments such as renderings of the Riker Building.

Hornbeck said she wanted to share these photos with readers to show that Pontiac used to be a bustling city where people spent their weekends shopping and socializing.

"I've showed this (book) until it's fallen apart," she said. "It's really old. I've shared it with a lot of people just to show them what the town looked like at one time to see the difference. I like Pontiac."

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She said a typical Saturday in Pontiac was spent all over the city's downtown.

"We used to go to Pontiac, go into all the stores, walk around, then we'd have lunch at Neisner's," she said. "They used to serve lunches at the counter, we used to go in there to eat, then we'd go to a theater. That was a highlight of our day.

"We used to practically live there in downtown Pontiac," she added. "We liked it so well."

Of the multitude of department stores and shops downtown, one of them stood out for Hornbeck and most other residents who wanted to save a dime, she said.

"We liked Simms the best, that was a nice store," she said. "Everybody bought their cigarettes and tobacco there because it was cheaper. It was sort of a budget store. It had everything."

Hornbeck received the book from her late husband, Don, almost 30 years ago. She moved to Pontiac from Highland Park when she was 11 years old, almost 80 years ago. She said most of the sights in the book were around when she first arrived in the early 1930s.

"I remember most of these pictures and most of these buildings because I was young when I came here," she said. "I'm 91 now, so they're antique just like me."

Hornbeck remembers working at places such as Federal's, the Oakland County Tuberculosis Hospital and the Fisher Body plant before it shut down in the 1980s.

Hornbeck primarily blamed the increased popularity of large suburban shopping centers for the decline in Pontiac's downtown area, a prevalent belief contributing to the demise of the iconic American Main Street.

"I saw them one by one go down," she said. "Like the theaters, one would go down and then a little while later another one, then another one, then another one, and with the stores, one would close up and then another one."

Another contribution was the construction of Woodward Avenue in the 1960s, which was "perfectly suited to get people everywhere but Pontiac," according to Oakland County planning supervisor Bret Rasegan.

Todd Enterprises owner and 34-year Pontiac resident Lee Todd said it was a combination of many factors that led to the demise of the city's downtown, including the capping of the Clinton River in the '60s, the closing of the Strand Theater and the construction of the Phoenix Center, which cuts off businesses on the south side of Saginaw Street.

"Another obvious factor that contributed was what retail stores we had were old-time established retail-type stores," he said. "When the Pontiac Mall (now Summit Place) opened up, it sucked them up. When Great Lakes Crossing opened, it sucked more up. Just like across the rest of the country, big boxes sort of close up the little retailers."

Todd is working with the Downtown Business Association to help revitalize Pontiac's once-booming downtown neighborhoods and is investing in real estate in the area. Before recently, there was one residential neighborhood on the northwest side of the loop.

"Unlike some other cities, we have hardly any residential (areas) downtown," he said. "We became a 9-to-5 office-type downtown with very little nightlife."

Todd added that there were almost 100 new residential lofts added to the downtown area in the past couple of years.

Pontiac Downtown Business Association president and Main Street Pontiac executive director Glen Konopaskie said urban lots are going fast, with 60 new lots at the beginning of the year being sold out after less than two months. The investment in downtown Pontiac has seen a marked increase compared with other downtown areas in the nation.

"Last year alone, we spent $28.2 million in investment and development downtown, which is the most the city's seen in decades," Konopaskie said. "A lot of cases, we're outpacing them for many reasons. Our clients from all over North America say they've seen more productive and positive movement in downtown Pontiac than in any of the other downtowns across the country."

Despite his and many other area investors' attachment to the city and its historical significance, the bottom line is money.

Office space rental in downtown Pontiac is almost one-third to one-half the cost per square foot compared with other upscale areas, such as Birmingham or Rochester, Konopaskie said.

"There's a lot of us that'll tell you we want to revitalize downtown to save the historic buildings, because we're from here and have a soft spot in our heart," he said, "but more importantly -- and what's really going to make the difference -- is profit and real estate."

Todd added that this recent downturn in the economy birthed a new class of entrepreneurs who are looking for work, don't want or can't afford retraining, or want to start their own retail store, coffee shop, office or something similar.

Revitalization of Pontiac's downtown district will naturally be a slow process and a return to the level of prosperity the city experienced in the mid-20th century is unlikely in the near future.

The memories and locations immortalized and idealized in a simple 1920s-era showcase photobook will persist for Hornbeck, however, and she's compelled to share them.

"I thought it would be nice for people to see the way it is now and the way it was," she said. "I thought they might enjoy it."